THE ALLIGATOR TRIED TO WARN YOU.

The cartoon Tasmanian Devil has a counterpart in real life.

You'd think somebody in wildlife biology would know that.

The 45-square-mile Maria Island was once a safe space for the pocket-sized little penguin species. The corner blip of land was free of the menaces the birds face elsewhere and proved a safe home for the creatures, which grow to be just two pounds. Just a decade ago, some 3,000 breeding pairs of little penguins thrived there, the Guardian reported.

Then, in response to an outbreak of a deadly facial tumor disease among Tasmanian devils, 28 of the marsupials were released on the island between 2012 and 2013. Since then, the face tumor disease’s spread has slowed and the devils’ ranks have grown to approximately 100.

But all of that comes at the expense of the little penguins, as there are no longer any on the island.

“Losing 3,000 pairs of penguins from an island that is a national park that should be a refuge for this species basically is a major blow,” Dr. Eric Woehler of BirdLife Tasmania told the Guardian.

By attempting to save the devils, humans not only destroyed the island’s little penguin population but also caused fearful geese to live in trees.

As far as I know, no Australian crocodiles turned themselves into valises to hide. "'Every time humans have deliberately or accidentally introduced mammals to oceanic islands, there’s always been the same outcome … a catastrophic impact on one or more bird species,' said Woehler." It's the same principle as humans working too hard to manage the affairs of other humans, sooner or later reality gets a vote.